Beneath the Surface ⇒ The Stanegarth

• Depth: 22m

The Stanegarth was brought to Stoney Cove as a project in assosiation with DIVER magazine.

The Stanegarth was orginally built in 1910 as a steam powered tug by Lytham Ship Builders Co. for Rea Transport Co. ltd. of Liverpool. She was then converted to diesel power with the addition of an enclosed wheelhouse in 1957.

More than 18 metres long with a beam of 5 metres, the stanegarth was thought to weigh 46 tons. The task of transporting her from Sharpness to Stoney Cove was set to be a formidable one. For instance the wheelhouse would have to be cut off to fit under motorway bridges.

As it turned out, the tug weighed twice as much as was originally thought, and the 250-ton crane failed to lift her. The Stoney Cove team removed 7 tons of greasy debris, 18 tons of engine and gearbox, and tons more of steel ballast, but this only reduced the stanegarths weight to 81 tons.

It was only when bulwarks fore and aft were topped off, that the tug could be lifted and the trip to Stoney Cove began. On arriving at Stoney Cove, the Stanegarth brought fresh headaches as she stuck fast in the entrance.

The wheelhouse and bulwarks were later replaced, the tug was cleaned and painted, and eventually, on Tuesday evening, 6 June 2000 the Stanegarth made her last voyage - to a spot some 200 metres from the shore - blessed by Stoney Cove's chaplain, Rev. Mary Strange.

A flare signalled the start of an impressive pyrotechnic display and a silver band played maritime tunes. But with her seacocks open, it took some 90 minutes for the Stanegarth to give up the ghost and slide beneath the water amid wild cheers. A buoy attached towards her stern marks her position.

So many spectators crowded Stoney Cove for the scuttling that the police called to say that three nearby villages were at a standstill because of Stoney Cove bound traffic. These spectators were to be the first of many who have since visited Stoney Cove to see the Stanegarth now under 20 metres of water. Lying eastwest and perfectly upright, Stanegarth is Stoney Cove's most popular diving feature with access to the chart room, wheelhouse, engine room and aft cabin. Her life is far from over.

Stoney Cove thanks DIVER magazine for their valuable contribution to this project.

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